This song from Erwin Cabucos celebrates Australia’s only saint, St Mary Mackillop. He includes her best known statement, “never see a need without doing something.” It’s always good to have local Australian hymns about Australian subjects, as we are bombarded with songs that have the perverse Northern Hemisphere point of view – ie all Christmas and Easter songs with the the wrong seasons implied and about saints from far away in time and space.
The sheet music is for sale at sheetmusicplus.
The sheet music makes perfect sense but was a struggle for my meagre skills. The song is in F and like any sensible person, he suggest guitarists play it Capo 3 in D, and so only includes the chord symbols in D. Then he has put the vocal line on a bass clef meaning I had to transpose in two directions at once – I hope it came out right. I always think it is best to have both the real chords and the capoed chords, as many keyboard players improvise the left hand based on the guitar chords. It is hard to know what to do with a melody line that goes very low, it looks much neater on the bass clef, but again many basic musicians, like me, really only look at the treble.
I made two backings because I wondered if it would work better and be less frenetic in a swung rhythm.
1 St Mary of the Cross, may we also see Christ,
Like how you raised the dignity of the poor, Australia wide.
You have faith, tender yet tough, may we show your fortitude.
Like how you stood for love and hope that made way for common good.
Chorus
Pray for us to never see a need without doing something.
Pray for us that God will be with us in our lives.
Pray for us to be resilient in our tumultuous times.
May we show your courage here and everywhere for Christ.
2 You have faith grounded and deep, may we also see the Lord,
Like how you felt his presence through prayers and his Word.
May we show your kindness, and overcome our apathy.
Respecting peoples and cultures, new and old, so many.
Chorus
3 You have faith so passionate, may we also work for love,
As carers for this sacred home of all creatures great and small.
Like your devotion to St Joseph and Jesus’ mother Mary.
May we become people of charity and humility.
Chorus
© 2024 Erwin Cabucos
St Mary Mackillop looks a bit stern in the statues, but she was rather fierce in life.
If you scroll down at this site of the works of art at St Stephen’s Cathedral you will see the even more intimidating one where she emerges out of a tree trunk at her shrine in Brisbane.